After 20 years of surfing websites, most Internet users can tell the difference between a site that “works” and a site that “doesn’t” without necessarily being able to articulate why they do or don’t succeed.

In our kickoff meetings, we typically ask our clients to point us to websites they think are amazing; websites they want to borrow ideas from.

And in the last couple of years, pretty much every single client has had the same favorite nonprofit website.

Soon, the Ice Bucket Challenge craze will burn out. It’s been extremely successful, but as the gimmick runs its course and America goes back to school, the ALS Association won’t keep receiving average donations of more than $1 million per day as they have during the month of August.

Maybe you already have some ice bucket fatigue of your own. After all, how many videos of a friend dumping ice on her head can you watch before you start ignoring them all?

In the short term, it’s clear this campaign worked, even if unintentionally. It’s wonderful they raised so much money. It’s also wonderful that so many people are more aware of ALS.

But in the long term, this stunt’s success has created some big challenges:

Most only donated because a friend challenged them to do so.

These new donors may not care about ALS as a long-term issue.

They likely have no lasting relationship with the ALS charity to which they donated.

So, is there really an opportunity to steward any of the nearly 500,000 new donors up the “ladder of engagement?” Is there a chance to turn some of these impulse donors into lifetime supporters? ALS charities may have hit the jackpot, but now the hard work of cultivation begins.

How can the Ice Bucket Challenge have a long term positive impact for the ALS Association?

The answer can be found by remembering the oldest sales trick in the book.

Keeping up with the Joneses is never easy — especially if the Joneses can outwork you, outspend you, and shout louder than you can. And if you’re vying for attention in a crowded online market, things aren’t getting any easier.

Out of 21 organizations we spoke with, only 1 does not have a designated social media person — neither part- nor full-time.

This means 20 of the 21 top nonprofits in the social media realm are paying at least one person to work part-time on their inbound marketing efforts. Some employ more than one person. Some employ those people full-time. And all of them want to ensure that their investments lead to results, so they’re willing to spend more money and allocate more resources toward reaching their organization’s goals.

Can you?

If not, here are five off-the-wall tips for maximizing the usefulness of your own inbound marketing — whether you’re competing against the social efforts of part-timers, full-timers, or an army of rabid devotees…

No, not that time she insisted you should be paranoid about tagging photos of yourself at “all the wrong parties,” or how you should never let strangers know that you aren’t home. (Although, hey, be smart.)

She was right about asking other people for help.

See, when you were a kid and you couldn’t accomplish something at school, your mother didn’t tell you to give up, did she?

No, she told you to ask for help. Maybe from a teacher, maybe from a classmate, but always to focus on improving, rather than quitting.

It turns out your mom was right about that — and the smartest nonprofits on Facebook are the ones who remembered what their mothers told them.

Specifically, it’s about telling the right story to the right person at the right time.

As a storyteller, you must focus on the needs of your audience. This will determine the appropriate channels (TV, direct mail, social media, etc.) for any particular story.

These eternal truths also help to explain why inbound marketing is so powerful. Inbound marketing, when done correctly, tells your audience the stories that matter to them at the time and place of their choosing, about the products and services they need, want, or choose to support.

But is inbound marketing just as formidable for nonprofits? Absolutely. And here’s why: